/<3-T  7 


BIBLE  WORK  IN  SIAM 


FROM  THE 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FOURTH  ANNUAL 
REPORT  OF  THE  AMERICAN 
BIBLE  SOCIETY 


MR.  IRWIN'S  CLASS  AT  CHIENGRAI 


AMERICAN  BIBLE  SOCIETY 
NEW  YORK 


1920 


OFFICERS  AND  AGENCIES  OF  THE  AMERICAN 

BIBLE  SOCIETY 


President  President  Emeritus 

CHURCHILL  H.  CUTTING,  New  York  JAMES  WOOD,  New  York 


Vice-Presidents 


CYRUS  NORTHROP,  LL.D.,  Minn. 
WILLIAM  P.  DILLINGHAM,  Vt. 

E.  E.  BEARD,  Tenn. 

MERRILL  E.  GATES,  LL.D.,  D.  C. 
FRANK  E.  SPOONER,  Ill. 

GEORGE  W.  WATTS,  N.  C. 

W.  T.  HARDIE,  La. 

CHARLES  E.  HUGHES,  LL.D.,N.  Y. 

H.  H.  SELDOMRIDGE,  Colo. 

JOHN  R.  MOTT,  LL.D.,  N.  Y. 

ROBERT  DOLLAR,  Cal. 

JOSHUA  LEVERING,  Md. 

SIMEON  E.  BALDWIN,  LL.D.,  Conn. 
JAMES  N.  GAMBLE,  Ohio. 
CHRISTOPHER  MATHEWSON,  Fla. 
ROBERT  F.  RAYMOND,  Mass. 

B.  PRESTON  CLARK,  Mass. 

CARL  E.  MILLIKEN,  LL.D.,  Me. 
ROBERT  H.  GARDINER,  Me. 

HENRY  WADE  ROGERS,  LL.D.,  Conn. 
WILLIAM  S.  PILLING,  Penn. 

ROBERT  LANSING,  LL.D.,  D.  C. 


General  Secretaries 

REV.  WILLIAM  I.  HAVEN,  D.D. 
FRANK  H.  MANN. 


Recording  Secretary 

REV.  LEWIS  B.  CHAMBERLAIN, 


MRS.  JOHN  S.  KENNEDY,  N.  Y. 
MRS.  FINLEY  J.  SHEPARD,  N.  Y. 

E.  FRANCIS  HYDE,  N.  Y. 

JOHN  WILLIS  BAER,  LL.D.,  Cal. 
ASA  G.  CANDLER,  Ga. 

G.  S.  MACKENZIE,  Ill. 

EDMUND  JANES  JAMES,  LL.D.,  Ill. 
THOS.  C.  DAY,  Ind. 

HARRY  P.  CONVERSE,  Ky. 

JUNIUS  E.  BEAL,  Mich. 

HANFORD  CRAWFORD,  Mo. 

C.  E.  GRAHAM,  S.  C. 

WALTER  L.  STOCKWELL,  N.  D. 
JOHN  R.  PEPPER,  Tenn. 

HARRY  ST.  GEORGE  TUCKER,  Va. 
WM.  HODGES  MANN,  Va. 

WM.  HALLS,  JR.,  N.  J. 

WILBER  P.  MANLEY,  Iowa. 
WESLEY  L.  JONES,  Wash. 

HENRY  J.  ALLEN,  Kan. 

GEORGE  WARREN  BROWN,  Mo. 
FRANK  A.  HORNE,  N.  Y. 


Treasurer 

*  WILLIAM  FOULKE 


Assistant  Treasurer 

GILBERT  DARLINGTON 


M.  A. 


Home  Agencies 

Colored  People  of  the  United  States,  Rev.  J.  P.  Wragg,  D.D.,  Bible  House,  New  York. 
Northwestern  Agency,  Rev.  S.  H.  Kirkbride,D.D.,  332  So.  Michigan  Ave.,  Chicago,  Ill. 
South  Atlantic  Agency,  Rev.  M.  B.  Porter,  313A  East  Grace  Street,  Richmond,  Va. 
Western  Agency,  Rev.  Arthur  F.  Ragatz,  D.D.,  808  Railroad  Building,  Denver,  Colo. 
Pacitic  Agency,  Rev.  A.  Wesley  Mell,  122  McAllister  Street,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Southwestern  Agency,  Rev.  J.  J.  Morgan,  1304  Commerce  Street,  Dallas,  Texas. 
Eastern  Agency,  Rev.  Samuel  C.  Benson,  137  Montague  Street,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 
Central  Agency,  Rev.  Frank  Marston,  D.D.,  424  Elm  Street,  Cincinnati,  O. 

Atlantic  Agency,  Rev.  Frank  P.  Parkin,  D.D.,  701  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Foreign  Agencies 

i  f  W.  W.  Peet,  Bible  House,  Constantinople,  Turkey. 

Levant  Agency  j  j  Rev  Franklin  e  Hoskins,  D.D.,  Beirut,  Syria. ' 

La  Plata  Agency,  Rev.  Francis  G.  Penzotti, 

Casilla  de  Correo,  304,  Calle  Parana,  481,  BuenosAyres,  Argentina. 
Japan  Agency,  ||  Rev.  Karl  E.  Aurell,  Bible  House,  Ginza  Street,  Tokyo,  Japan. 
China  Agency,  Rev.  John  R.  Hykes,  D.D.,  73  Szechuen  Road,  Shanghai,  China. 
Brazil  Agency,  Rev.  H.  C.  Tucker,  D.D.,  Caixa  do  Correio,  454,  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Brazil. 
Mexico  Agency,  Rev.  A.  H.  Mellen,  Apartado  1373,  Mexico  City,  Mexico. 

West  Indies  Agency,  Jose  Marcial-Dorado,  Ph.D.,  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico. 

Siam  Agency,  Rev.  Robert  Irwin,  Bangkok,  Siam. 

Panama  Canal  and  Central  America  Agency,  Rev.  W.  F.  Jordan,  Bible  House, 

Cristobal,  Canal  Zone. 

Philippines  Agency,  Rev.  J.  L.  McLaughlin,  Box  755,  Manila,  P.  I. 

West  Coast  South  America  Agency,  Rev.  W.  F.  Jordan,  Bible  House,  Cristobal, 

Canal  Zone. 

•Deceased,  t  Appointed  Acting  Agency  Secretary  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Bowen.  1  In  charge  of  the 
Arabic-speaking  portion  of  the  field.  |!  Acting  Agency  Secretary. 


SIAM 

The  Siam  Agency  was  established  in  1890.  The  circulation  is  mainly  in 
the  Siamese  and  Lao  languages,  though  a  considerable  number  of 
Chinese  Scriptures  are  used  to  reach  the  Chinese  in  Bangkok.  Some 
of  the  Siamese  Scriptures  are  printed  and  published  in  Bangkok  and 
some  in  Japan,  and  part  of  the  Lao  Scriptures  are  printed  in  Chieng- 
mai  and  others  in  Japan.  Besides  these  languages,  there  is  a  scatter¬ 
ing  distribution  in  fifteen  other  languages.  The  total  circulation  for 
the  year  1919  was  90,264  volumes,  which  is  a  decrease  of  57,088  from 
last  year’s  output.  The  total  circulation  since  the  establishment  of 
the  Agency,  which  has  completed  twenty-nine  years  of  activity,  is 
1,810,196.  The  Agency  Secretary  is  the  Rev.  Robert  Irwin,  with 
headquarters  at  Bangkok,  Siam. 

OOD  for  thought  abounds  in  this  report. 
Fundamental  questions  are  raised  and  an¬ 
swered  at  the  outset.  Such  pertinent  sub¬ 
jects  as  whether  it  is  the  East  alone  that  is 
“  unhustleable,”  and  the  vital  importance 
of  the  life  and  actions  of  westerners,  whether 
missionaries,  merchants,  or  officials  in  the  East,  are  frankly 
faced.  House-to-house  visitation  undertaken  during  the 
year  throughout  a  whole  district;  provision  for  and  progress  in 
the  training  of  colporteurs;  pushing  forward  into  new  and 
difficult  fields;  and  the  preparation  of  Scriptures  in  various 
languages  and  suitable  forms,  together  with  instances  of 
individual  fruit  from  this  work,  are  some  of  the  important 
matters  reported  by  Mr.  Irwin,  the  reading  of  which  will 
bring  encouragement,  as  well  as  stimulate  thought.* 

Ought  the  Scriptures  to  Be  Translated  and  Donated? 

Recently  a  correspondent  of  the  Bang kolc  Times  severely  criticized  the 
Bible  Societies  for  translating  the  Scriptures  into  the  vernacular  tongues 
and  distributing  them  broadcast.  Some  missionaries  have  expressed 
sympathy  with  his  views  so  far  as  the  large  amount  of  free  distribution 
is  concerned.  It  is  therefore  incumbent  on  us  to  defend  the  method  or 
change  it  for  a  better.  We  are  open  for  suggestions.  In  the  meantime 
we  are  to  attempt  to  prove  two  propositions:  First,  that  it  is  proper  to 
translate  the  Scriptures  into  all  languages  and  dialects  and  to  distribute 
them,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  every  person  who  can  read;  and  second,  that 
it  is  proper  under  certain  circumstances  to  distribute  the  Scriptures  at  an 
excessively  low  charge,  or  at  no  charge  at  all. 

Translated?  Yes! 

So  far  as  translation  into  vernacular  speech  and  the  spread  of  the 

3 


Book  among  the  common  people  are  concerned  the  history  of  civiliza¬ 
tion  becomes  our  ally.  William  Tyndale,  roused  by  the  neglected  con¬ 
dition  of  the  people  of  England  and  the  indifference  and  ignorance 
of  the  clergy,  declared  that  he  would  make  it  possible  for  the  plowboy 
to  know  more  of  the  Bible  than  the  prelate.  Before  long,  half  a  dozen 
translations  of  the  New  Testament  flooded  the  country.  Everybody 
read  them  and,  as  Green's  History  of  the  English  People  tells  us,  the 
ndtion  was  reborn  to  a  nobler  life.  Something  of  the  same  kind  of  move¬ 
ment  took  place  throughout  Europe.  Instinctively,  the  people  felt  that 
the  Book  fitted  their  needs  as  the  bark  fits  the  growing  tree,  and  that 
there  were  those  in  power  who  were  peeling  the  bark  from  them.  See 
but  yesterday  the  multitudes  of  every  nation  under  heaven  in  the  trenches 
“eagerly  reading  the  New  Testament”  each  in  his  own  language,  or 
listening  to  it.  “Nobody  is  ashamed  to  be  seen  reading  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment”  is  the  record  that  comes  from  different  sources.  To-day,  in  this 
land,  Chinese  coolies,  Siamese  farmers,  uncouth  mountain  hunters, 
gather  in  groups  to  read,  listen,  and  discuss  the  wonderful  story  of  their 
family  relation  to  God.  Why  should  it  be  thought  incredible  that  He 
intended  the  Book  for  them? 

Some  one  suggests  they  will  misread  it.  Who  is  to  decide  that? 
If  the  Bible,  read,  pondered  and  followed,  makes  men  and  nations  better, 
stronger  and  more  manly  in  every  way — and  it  is ‘certain  it  does — then 
it  is  a  good  and  proper  piece  of  work  to  translate  it  into  every  tongue 
and  to  put  it  into  every  mail's  hands,  and  only  he  who  has  some  ulterior 
object  to  gain  will  object,  or  hinder. 

Donated?  Yes,  at  Times 

As  to  the  second  proposition  that  it  is  proper  to  give  away  Scriptures, 
it  is  not  contended  that  such  a  method  is  anything  other  than  a  temporary 
measure  to  create  an  appetite  for  them.  It  is,  to  use  a  business  idea, 
advertising  by  sample.  There  is  practically  no  gratuitous  distribution 
among  the  Siamese  of  Lower  Siam  now.  There  used  to  be,  but  the  people 
now  want  the  Scriptures  and  are  willing  to  pay  for  them.  The  Chinese, 
great  readers,  almost  everywhere  buy  their  books.  The  Lao  of  North 
Siam  and  the  Leu  and  Shans  have  not  yet  come  to  want  books  badly 
enough  to  pay  for  them,  and  it  is  good  business  to  coax  them  a  while 
longer.  “It's  our  language,”  eagerly  cried  a  crowd  of  the  Sip  Sawng 
Punna  people  as  one  of  their  number  took  a  small  book  and  began  to 
read  in  a  loud  voice.  The  entire  village  clustered  about  him,  and  he 
read  the  whole  story  of  Ruth.  The  visitor  to  Lakawn  has  a  pleasure 
coming  to  him  if  he  run  across  a  group  of  the  illiterate  Ivamu  squatting 
by  the  roadside  listening  to  Ah  Siang  reading  from  his  Kamu  Epistles 
of  Peter.  A  half  dozen  booklets  judiciously  placed  here  will  probably 
mean  a  little  school  or  class  within  a  year  or  two,  and  a  whole  tribe 
will  take  a  step  upward.  It  is  just  a  matter  of  doing  what  you  can. 
Better  a  man  were  not  born  then  do  nothing.  If  some  one  can  find 
a  better  method,  the  way  is  open.  The  Bible  Societies  will  gladly 
follow. 


5 


The  Law  of  Stability 

There  is  a  philosophy  of  the  stability  of  nations  and  individuals  who 
live  according  to  the  Bible  principles,  and  it  is  in  harmony  with  the 
law  of  nature.  In  Exodus  23 :  20  ff .  Moses  was  given  the  open  secret  of 
success — follow  the  Angel.  It  is  perfectly  clear  that  “the  nation  that 
will  not  serve  thee  shall  perish”;  because  it  sets  itself,  either  in  ignorance 
or  willfulness,  against  the  law,  as  a  child  might  set  itself  against  a  rail¬ 
road  train.  A  nation  is  strong  as  it  conforms  to  the  Bible  principle's, 
and  weak  as  it  departs  from  them.  The  whole  long  history  of  Israel 
is  given  just  to  demonstrate  that  truth.  History  is  strewn  with  dead 
nations,  like  leaves  in  a  forest,  to  become  soil  and  fertilizer  for  a  richer 
and  larger  life  of  humanity.  The  process,  however,  is  more  than  natural, 
will-less  evolution.  It  marks  failure.  Those  nations  might  have  lived, 
grown  greater  and  blessed  the  world  in  a  nobler  way.  Dying,  they  be¬ 
queathed  us  an  idea  or  a  lesson,  the  value  of  which  we  must  painfully  work 
out  for  ourselves.  How  much  greater  the  value  had  they  lived  it  for  us! 
They  lost  their  soul  through  disobedience  to  eternal  law.  Germany  may 
become  one  of  the  latest  examples  of  this  sad  truth.  This  is  plain 
to  the  real  “Bible  reader,”  but  how  shah  the  nations  and  peoples  know 
the  truth  except  it  be  brought  to  them  in  their  own  tongue?  To  expect 
them  to  receive  it  through  a  missionary  or  a  priest  in  another  language 
is  as  hopeless  as  to  attempt  to  bail  out  the  ocean  with  a  teacup,  or  to 
build  a  modern  city  with  a  child’s  play  blocks.  The  other  way — to  trans¬ 
late  and  distribute  the  Scriptures,  even  by  gift — is  feasible,  sensible,  and 
successful. 

What  is  Holy? 

But  does  it  not  degrade  the  Holy  Scriptures?  What  makes  anything 
holy?  Nothing  is  holy  in  itself,  but  only  as  it  ministers  to  the  need  of 
man;  whatever  does  that,  is  holy.  “The  Sabbath  was  made  for  man 
and  not  man  for  the  Sabbath,”  is  Jesus’  concrete  way  of  stating  the 
truth.  Abstractly  stated,  it  would  read,  “Everything  was  made  for  man 
and  man  was  not  made  for  anything  else  in  the  world.”  Humanity,  per¬ 
sonal,  national,  racial,  is  sacred,  destined  to  become  lord  of  the  universe, 
and  every  created  thing  must  be  made  to  minister  to  his  preparation  for 
the  exalted  position.  “Thou  hast  made  him  but  little  lower  than  God; 
Thou  hast  put  all  things  under  his  feet.”  To  so  revere  the  Bible  as  we 
would  a  precious  vase  that  must  be  kept  out  of  the  children’s  reach  is 
to  rob  it  of  its  power  and  defeat  its  purpose  as  effectually  as  if  a  people 
should,  out  of  reverence,  keep  their  monarch  locked  in  his  palace  lest 
contact  with  common  clay  should  defile  his  majesty.  Both  Bible  and 
monarch  were  made  for  common  clay — to  turn  it  into  imperishable 
grandeur  and  greatness. 

The  Joyful  Life 

The  New  Testament  is  the  record  of  the  most  joyful  life  ever  lived. 
Christian  Science  has  no  patent  on  joy,  nor  have  Faith  cults  on  abiding 
peace.  Jesus  told  his  disciples,  when  persecuted,  to  “rejoice  and  leap  for 
joy,”  as  though  difficulty  and  grief  were  the  necessary  conditions  for  hap¬ 
piness;  the  deeper  the  darkness  the  more  radiant  the  light.  It  does  not 

6 


mean  that  happiness  grows  from  grief,  nor  that  light  leaps  out  of  darkness. 
The  great  shining  sun  above  is  the  inexhaustible  source  of  light,  and 
the  secret  of  happiness  lies  in  the  soul’s  contact  with  God.  Sorrow, 
persecution,  disappointment,  are  the  occasion  for  the  triumphant  growth 
of  the  finer  graces,  but  not  the  cause.  Most  adults  are,  as  Emerson  says 
(“The  Conservative,”  p.  330),  “very  foolish  children  who,  by  reason  of 
their  partiality,  see  everything  in  the  most  absurd  manner  and  are  the 
victims  at  all  times  of  the  nearest  object.  .  .  .  Our  experience,  our  percep¬ 
tion,  is  conditioned  by  the  need  to  acquire  in  parts  and  in  succession, 
that  is,  with  every  truth  a  certain  falsehood.”  It  ought  not  to  be  so. 
There  is  no  excuse  for  having  to  acquire  a  certain  amount  of  falsehood 
with  the  truth.  Jesus  never  did.  It  is  due  to  willful  neglect  to  look 
at  things  as  they  are,  to  a  growing  laziness  of  mind  to  think;  an  absurd 
taking  for  granted  and  jumping  to  quick  conclusions.  The  sun  in  our 
heaven,  and  the  greater  suns  beyond  that,  seem  so  far  off  and  so  common 
that  we  scarcely  notice  them.  We  fail  to  see  that  they  are  the  most 
fundamental  facts  in  the  universe  and  in  our  life.  Failing  to  see  that, 
it  is  not  strange  that  we  neglect  the  Book  that  instructs  us  in  the  arts 
of  shining  and  enjoying.  Eternal  life,  about  which  the  Bible  has  so  much 
to  say,  is  not  merely  stretched-out  existence,  but  the  quality  of  God’s 
life  of  love,  joy,  and  peace,  unending  because  founded  on  truth,  justice, 
and  kindness.  As  the  bee,  to  get  the  sweetest  honey,  must  have  a  long 
mandible  and  must  sink  it  deep  into  the  heart  of  the  flower,  so  simplicity 
of  spirit  and  fellowship  with  God  will  enrich  our  lives  with  the  sweetness 
and  fragrance  of  heaven.  “I  came  that  they  might  have  life  and  might 
have  it  more  abundantly,”  in  ever  richer  measure.  Why  then  should  any 
of  us  fail  to  reach  the  sunny  heights  of  superb  and  normal  manhood, 
and  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder  with  Him  who  was  called  the  Son  of  man? 


The  Christian  Paradox 

But  why  all  this  emphasis  on  the  Bible?  Such  teaching  is  not  con¬ 
fined  to  this  particular  book.  Why  not  make  the  Bible  one  among  the 
others?  The  chief  reason  is  that  the  Bible,  unlike  other  books,  makes 
God  supreme  and  man  subordinate,  and  it  shows  his  will  for  our  con¬ 
duct  and  character.  Not  only  that,  but  it  opens  the  way  to  their  at¬ 
tainment  and  furnishes  the  requisite  inspiration  and  energy  to  travel 
that  way  to  the  goal.  It  is  the  way  of  the  denial  of  self,  the  surrender 
of  our  will  to  the  control  of  another,  and  willingness  to  follow  his  direc¬ 
tions  in  everything.  But,  that’s  slavery!  Yes,  but  consider  who  the 
master  is  and  what  his  purpose  is.  The  Master  is  Jesus  Christ,  God’s 
Son,  who  loves  us  with  an  everlasting  love  and  whose  object  is  not  to 
get  all  he  can  out  of  us,  but  to  “work  in  us,”  to  present  us  faultless,  and 
to  enable  us  to  work  out  for  ourselves  happiness,  success,  and  an  assured 
future— the  very  qualities  all  are  striving  for. 

Righteousness  Exalteth,  Sin  a  Reproach 

The  evidence  that  this  is  no  fairy  tale  is  abundant  in  the  lives  of 
nations  and  men.  The  great  outstanding  lesson  of  history  is  that  “right- 

7 


eousness  exalteth  a  nation,  but  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people.”  Chris¬ 
tian  nations  have  died,  and  some  are  dying;  but  the  cause  is  that  they 
refused  or  neglected  the  plain  teaching  of  the  Bible,  which  they  pro¬ 
fessed  to  follow.  The  Bible  teaches  the  one  method  of  attaining  real 
manhood  that  has  been  found  to  work.  Many  other  methods  have  been 
tried  and  in  the  pinch  failed.  Instead  of  slavery,  this  is  found  to  be 
freedom.  Instead  of  losing  our  life,  we  find  it.  We  surrender  our  will 
only  to  exercise  it  in  an  effective  way.  The  Bible  is  our  best  friend  when 
it  teaches  that  “he  that  humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted.”  He  who 
refuses  goes  downward  and,  sooner  or  later,  wakes  up  to  the  realization 
that  he  alone  is  to  blame  for  failure.  It  is  not  an  arbitrary  act  of  God, 
but  the  law  of  nature  that  the  Bible  points  out.  We  therefore  can  urge 
the  Bible  on  all  mankind  with  a  good  heart. 

Christianity — I  nternational  Goodwill 

I  wish  we  Christian  missionaries  could  make  some  adequate  ex¬ 
pression  of  our  faith,  which  is,  as  Fosdick  (“Challenge  of  the  Present 
Crisis,”  p.  94),  says,  “international  goodwill.”  It  is  not  our  business  to 
attempt  to  force  on  the  Siamese  and  Chinese  a  religion  they  hate,  or  to 
change  their  customs  nor  to  introduce  among  them  anything  of  a  divisive 
nature,  except  as  the  truth  divides  good  from  evil.  Jesus’  commission 
to  us  was  to  proclaim  the  gospel,  and  that  gospel  he  summed  up  in  the 
one  idea  of  the  kingdom  of  God— God  the  Father  and  King  of  all  man¬ 
kind,  a  Family  in  which  all  men,  without  respect  to  race  or  nation,  are 
children,  and  so  brothers  and  sisters,  on  the  one  condition  of  allegiance 
to  Jesus  Christ,  God’s  representative  on  earth. 

It  is  an  idea  so  vast  and  far-reaching  that  few  of  us  get  even  the 
vision,  much  less  proclaim  it  by  word  and  life.  In  other  times  it  has 
had  a  different  expression;  to-day,  owing  to  the  world  catastrophe,  it 
surely  spells  “international  goodwill.”  Physical  force  is  futile;  but 
genuine  brotherliness  to  individuals,  maintained  over  years,  will  con¬ 
quer  the  nations.  It  is  recorded,  “Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the 
day  of  thy  power,”  and  Christians,  missionaries,  doctors,  merchants,  and 
others,  are  to  determine  when  that  day  of  power  shall  dawn. 

Catching  the  Vision 

Our  call,  therefore,  to  the  Christian  element  in  Siam  is  to  catch  the 
magnificent  vision  and  become  international  in  spirit,  and  our  call  to  the 
Siamese  and  Chinese  and  other  nationals  in  this  country  is  to  catch  the 
vision  of  your  own  prophets  and  religious  leaders,  and  to  ponder  the 
probability  that  these  are  along  the  same  line  as  Christianity,  and  need 
the  living  Christ  to  fulfill  them.  Let  us  all  get  away  from  the  idea  of 
antagonism.  That  will  never  bring  us  anywhere.  And  let  us,  as  the 
apostle  exhorts,  “put  on,  as  the  elect  of  God,  a  heart  of  compassion, 
kindness,  lowliness,  meekness,  long-suffering,  forbearing  one  another.” 
We  are  bold  to  declare,  as  Christ  himself  did,  that  he  came  not  to  destroy 
anything  good  in  the  law  and  writings  of  prophets,  but  to  fill  them  out 
into  their  full  intention  and  to  give  men  a  righteousness  that  is  not 

8 


merely  external,  but  that  is  hearty  and  joyous;  that  unlocks  the  latent 
energies  of  soul  and  body  which  nothing  else  can  do;  and  that  inevitably 
projects  itself  into  the  everlasting  future — for  nothing  good  ever  dies. 

In  the  nature  of  the  case,  the  message  has  to  be  given  to  individuals 
and  small  groups,  and  men  have  to  be  won  one  by  one;  but  we  should 
never  lose  sight  of  the  nations  and  the  new  humanity  that  is  to  be  and 
for  which  individuals  and  nations  exist  and  grow.  Jesus’  idea  of  the 
kingdom  is  that  it  grows  like  a  plant  into  a  tree  with  widespreading 
limbs,  and  that  it  blends  its  members  into  a  homogeneous  and  heavenly 
spirit,  as  leaven  unites  the  myriad  particles  of  flour  into  a  loaf  of  bread. 
Can  anyone  read  the  story  of  our  thousands  of  years  of  life  and  not  see 
the  direction  of  the  current  that  way?  Clan  has  grown  to  tribe,  tribe  to 
city-state,  city-state  to  nation-state,  nation-state  to  federal-state;  and 
the  logical  issue  of  to-day’s  movement,  as  Myers  (“General  History,” 
p.  748),  points  out,  would  seem  to  be  the  world-state.  Humanity  seems 
to  grow  like  a  child.  It  learns  and  refuses  to  learn  by  the  things  it  suffers; 
stumbles  under  a  load  of  things  it  tries  to  carry;  is  bewildered  by  the 
multitude  and  strangeness  of  its  experiences;  yet  light-heartedly  and 
inevitably  pushes  its  way  up  to  manhood;  for  man  persists,  though  men 
die. 

The  Need — “An  Influx  of  Idealism” 

What  this  and  surrounding  countries  need  is  “an  influx  of  idealism,” 
as  Emerson  (“English  Traits,”  p.  118)  has  it.  “Where  that  goes  is 
poetry,  health,  and  progress.”  “An  invasion  of  armies,”  says  Victor 
Hugo,  “can  be  resisted;  an  invasion  of  ideas  cannot  be  resisted.”  Char¬ 
acter  is  built  on  ideals,  but  as  the  archbishop  of  York  reminds  us,  “ideals 
will  not  care  for  themselves.”  We  have  to  foster  them  and  to  help  one 
another  to  live  up  to  our  ideals.  We  who  were  forced  by  circumstances 
to  stay  by  the  stuff  need  to  catch  the  spirit  of  those  who  went  to  the 
Front  and,  in  turn,  stimulate  them  to  the  same  heroism  in  the  long  drawn- 
out,  every-day  struggle  with  evil.  “This  is  a  sphere,”  says  Professor 
Leonard,  of  Bristol  University,  “in  which  everyone  of  us  may  play  a 
part.” 

“We  Can  if  we  Will” 

Somehow,  people  expect  us  missionaries  to  be  superior  to  others. 
Let  us  take  it  as  an  honor  and  a  spur.  We  need  not  shut  our  eyes  to  the 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  carrying  the  gospel  to  all  parts  of  Tailand  with 
its  Babel  of  tongues.  Caleb  could  see  the  enormous  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  winning  Canaan  as  well  as  the  other  spies,  the  walled  cities,  iron 
chariots,  and  mailed  warriors;  but  still  he  knew  they  were  able  to  go  up 
and  take  it.  What  is  needed  in  our  case  is  the  determination  to  do  this 
work,  and  then  set  about  finding  the  way  to  do  it.  Just  to  say,  “We 
can’t  do  it  till  we  get  reinforcements,”  is  ignominious  failure.  Anybody 
could  do  it  if  he  had  plenty  of  forces  and  ideal  conditions.  This  calls 
for  extraordinary  men — what  missionaries  are  supposed  to  be.  What 
we  want  to  see,  is  that  it  is  the  task  of  us  missionaries  on  the  field  to 
devise  measures  for  the  spiritual  conquest  of  all  the  people  within  our 
territory,  and  begin  to  do  it.  That  is  what  we  were  sent  here  for.  The 

9 


church  in  America  cannot  do  it.  The  Boards  cannot  do  it.  They 
sent  us  here  to  do  it.  They  will  stand  back  of  us  with  forces  and 
supplies.  If  they  should  fail,  we  at  least  have  done  our  duty.  The 
great  forward  movements  in  the  Christian  world,  one  cannot  view  them 
without  applause  and  a  desire  to  take  a  part  in  them.  Will  they  suc¬ 
ceed?  That  will  depend  on  the  Christian  world  itself.  Russel  H.  Con- 
well  says:  “Success  has  no  secret.  Her  voice  is  forever  ringing  through 
the  market  place  and  crying  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  burden  of  her 
cry  is  one  word — Will.”  The  haystack  “We  can  if  we  will”  has  become 
a  scientific  commonplace.  To  will,  however,  is  actually  to  know  the 
problem  and  to  get  down  to  work  it  out.  Anything  else  is  to  stand,  like 
the  street  lounger  with  hands  in  pockets  and  jaw  hanging  loose,  gazing 
at  the  job.  “The  great  enterprise  to  which  Jesus  summoned  his  dis¬ 
ciples,  consisted  in  the  secure  establishment  of  a  certain  way  of  living 
throughout  the  entire  human  race.  It  is  a  way  of  living  characterized 
by  three  elemental  features.  It  is  a  life  in  which  every  man  looks  up  to 
God  as  his  Father,  with  a  growing  assurance  of  the  reality  and  nearness 
of  a  vast  unseen  world  of  which  he  is  a  part;  a  life  in  which,  in  the  midst 
of  the  day’s  work,  every  man  looks  out  upon  all  other  men  with  a 
kindling  desire  to  work  with  them  in  all  possible  ways  and  at  any  cost 
for  the  common  good;  a  life  in  which  each  man  in  the  midst  of  the  day’s 
work,  looks  forward  with  a  growing  expectation  of  immortality,  to  the 
endless  life  in  which  he  will  work  together  with  a  multitude  of  others 
in  the  ever-changing  universe  of  God”  (“The  Christian  Witness  in 
War”).  Here  is  opportunity  of  a  very  sublime  order — fellow-workers 
with  God,  training  ourselves  to  work  with  whomsoever  fortune  puts 
alongside  us,  and  seeing  the  universe  take  ever  new  forms  under  our 
master  strokes.  There  is  much  in  modern  life  to  encourage  us.  For 
instance,  a  recent  editorial  in  the  Bible  Society  Record  says:  “There  is 
evidence  that  men  everywhere  are  turning  to  the  Scriptures  again  for 
light  upon  the  complicated  problems  of  our  times.  And  perhaps  there 
was  never  a  period  in  which  the  opportunity  was  so  great  for  pressing 
home  upon  the  minds  of  the  people  the  value  of  this  great  book,  not  only 
as  a  revelation  of  spiritual  truth,  but  as  setting  forth  a  social  order  of 
things  that  would  meet  the  most  exacting  requirements  of  our  exact¬ 
ing  age.” 

Christianity  Indigenous  to  the  Orient 

So,  too,  the  nations  are  now  aware  that  no  one  liveth — or  dieth — to 
itself  and,  if  not  lessening  their  selfishness,  they  are  giving  a  helping  hand 
to  the  small,  weak,  and  backward  nations  in  political  and  industrial 
matters.  But  politics  and  industry,  like  everything  else,  are  beneficial 
only  when  based  on  sound  morals  and  religion.  The  missionary  teacher 
and  colporteur  now,  theoretically  at  least,  take  rank  with  the  diplomat 
and  trader.  A  recent  number  of  Asia  devotes  a  long  article  to  an 
acknowledgment  of  the  debt  that  the  Orient  owes  to  the  Christian  mis¬ 
sionaries,  and  the  October,  1919,  number  of  The  Ladies'  Home  Journal  has 
an  article  entitled, ‘And  Forty-Five  Missionaries,”  showing  how  they  have 
profoundly  affected  China  for  good.  We  have  a  right  to  expect  that, 

10 


led  by  the  logic  of  events  and  a  growing  acquaintance  with  their  inner 
worth,  the  strong  governments  of  the  world  will  soon  take  a  direct  in¬ 
terest  in  commending  Christianity  to  the  more  backward  peoples.  There 
is  nothing  more  friendly  they  can  do  for  the  Orient  than  to  show  that 
they  are  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  cause  of  foreign  missions,  and 
back  such  sympathy  by  an  exhibition,  in  action,  of  the  justice  and  broth¬ 
erly  spirit  taught  by  the  Bible.  If  all  the  representatives  of  Christian 
countries  living  in  Siam  and  China  had  these  two  qualities,  there  is  little 
doubt  that  so  real  a  Christianity  would  be  welcomed  by  all  those  peoples. 
Christianity  is  indigenous  to  the  Orient.  We  of  the  West  are  slowly 
learning  it.  We  need  to  give  it  to  the  Orient  that  they  may  come  to 
their  true  and  full  life,  and  that  they,  in  turn,  may  teach  us  its  fullness. 
Both  of  us  must  receive  and  both  must  give.  This  is  simply  an  extension 
of  the  principle  of  political  and  commercial  reciprocity  now  so  clearly 
recognized.  We  must  give  first  of  all  the  open  Bible,  for  there  is  nothing 
that  will  so  surely  and  speedily  deliver  any  country  or  people  from  the 
evils  that  afflict  it.  It  will  either  provide  a  direct  cure,  or  stimulate  in¬ 
quiry  until  a  cure  is  found.  Discovery  and  invention  are  products  of  the 
Christian  mind.  We  missionaries  have  no  need  for  discouragement. 
We  seem  to  be  within  sight  of  the  goal. 


Colportage  for  the  Year 

We  have  to  report  a  much  smaller  distribution  than  usual — 90,264 
against  147,352  last  year.  Probably  there  is  not  an  actual  falling  off; 
but,  owing  to  furloughs,  transfers,  broken  health,  and  deaths  in  the 
mission  force,  only  a  little  over  half  of  the  supervisors  have  sent  in  re¬ 
turns  of  their  work  for  the  year.  Thus,  nothing  has  been  heard  from 
the  great  regions  of  the  Shan  States  and  the  Sip  Sawng  Panna  (in  South 
China),  Lakawn,  and  part  of  Chiengmai,  and  only  the  first  three  months’ 
distribution  in  Chiengrai  and  Nan.  Also  some  parts  of  the  field  in  the 
North  Siam  Mission  are  ceasing  to  give  away  Scriptures,  and  sales  will 
be  few  for  a  long  time  to  come.  We  were  short  of  Chinese  Scriptures  for 
several  months  and  had  to  lay  off  colporteurs. 

It  is  with  profound  sorrow  that  we  are  called  on  to  star  the  names 
of  three  friends  of  the  Agency  from  the  Presbyterian  Missions,  all  of 
them  active  on  our  behalf  though  not  actual  supervisors:  C.  J.  Shellman, 
M.D.,  the  Rev.  W.  A.  Briggs,  M.D.,  and  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Dodd,  D.D. 

Prae  Field — -House-to-House  Canvass 

A  special  feature  of  this  line  of  work  this  year,  the  first  successful 
attempt  of  the  kind,  was  the  house-to-house  canvass  of  the  entire  province 
of  Prae,  together  with  a  section  of  Lakawn  and  another  of  Chiengrai 
embraced  in  the  Prae  field.  Twenty-one  men  and  four  women  were 
employed.  Mr.  Callender  estimates  the  area  covered  at  2,000  square 
miles,  with  a  population  of  100,000,  315  villages  and  towns,  and  13,867 
houses.  A  little  over  30,000  portions  of  Scripture  were  distributed,  of 
which  1,605  were  in  Siamese,  a  few  in  Chinese  and  Western  Shan.  The 
rest  were  in  Lao.  The  cost  to  the  Society  of  the  work  was  1,485  ticals, 

11 


or  $557.  The  main  work  was  done  during  the  first  three  months  of  the 
year,  some  mountainous  districts  difficult  of  access  being  not  finished  till 
near  the  end  of  the  year.  We  quote  the  following  from  Mr.  Callender’s 
very  full  report,  itself  taken  largely  from  the  lips  of  the  colporteurs: 

“The  plan  was  to  get  as  many  as  possible  to  distribute  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  in  order  to  create  enthusiasm — -which  goes  a  long  way  towards 
successful  missionary  effort.  None  but  Christians  were  employed,  and 
we  got  the  best  available.  Some  were  jewels,  some  were  gems  in  the 
rough,  and  some  were  very  ordinary  material.  But  when  the  work  is 
needed  to  be  done,  the  best  material  available  must  be  harnessed  and 
sent  forth.  The  plan  involved  bi-weekly  conferences  for  those  distribu¬ 
ting  in  the  Prae  plain,  and  as  often  as  practicable  for  those  distributing 
at  more  distant  points. 

Some  Experiences 

•“These  conferences  revealed  varied  experiences  of  the  colporteurs. 
At  some  homes  they  were  met  with  the  fear  expressed  that  reception  of 
Scriptures  might  obligate  them  to  pay  out  money  later.  Some  were 
afraid  that  their  children  would  be  taken  to  the  mission  schools  and 
forced  to  become  Christians.  Some  said  that  to  leave  off  making  offer¬ 
ings  at  the  monasteries  would  spell  darkness  to  them.  These  offerings 
are  more  attractive  than  the  Christian  way  because  more  demonstrative 
and  sociable,  as  children  are  pleased  with  toys  and  bright  colors.  At 
some  of  the  houses  in  the  city  the  women  colporteurs  encountered  opposi¬ 
tion.  They  were  ordered  politely  to  leave,  as  their  Christian  teachings 
were  not  wanted.  At  some  places  in  the  out-villages  the  women  endured 
great  hardships.  Not  knowing  where  to  lodge  for  the  night,  they  would 
pray  to  be  divinely  led  and  they  were  not  disappointed.  At  one  village, 
just  at  night,  one  of  the  women  said,  ‘I  wonder  where  we  can  put  up  for 
the  night;  it  is  getting  dark.’  The  answer  came  from  one  of  the  others, 
‘We  will  pray  about  it,  and  the  Lord  wil\  prepare  some  house  for  us.’ 
They  were  in  the  sala  or  public  lodging-place,  where  it  would  not  do  for 
women  to  stay  unprotected.  Soon  after  prayer,  a  woman  came  down 
fr’om  her  house  near  by  and  entered  into  conversation  writh  them.  The 
sequel  was  that  she  invited  the  whole  party  of  four  women  to  lodge  with 
her  that  night  and  share  her  hospitality. 

Welcomes 

“Here  is  wThat  the  leader  of  one  company  of  men  has  to  say:  ‘We 
stopped  at  the  house  of  the  headman  of  the  village  and  showed  the 
pictures.  (The  colporteurs  had  stereoscope  views,  some  on  the  life  of 
Christ,  many  of  different  countries,  besides  a  picture  roll  on  the  Life 
of  Christ.)  This  was  a  large  village,  and  we  stopped  there  two  nights. 
The  villagers  turned  out  well,  including  many  monks.  We  admonished 
them  and  opened  up  the  Scriptures  for  them  to  listen,  day  and  night, 
and  they  listened  attentively.  We  gave  them  Scriptures  and  they  took 
them  readily,  without  a  criticism  from  a  single  house;  and  they  invited 
us  to  return,  for  they  understood. 

“We  proceeded  to  another  village  and  arrived  there  at  about  four 

12 


o’clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  headman  of  the  village  received  us  cor¬ 
dially,  and  we  stopped  at  his  house.  We  showed  the  pictures  we  had 
with  us,  at  least  fifty  persons  being  present,  including  monks.  I  taught 
and  distributed  Scriptures,  and  it  was  pleasant,  not  a  single  house  refusing 
Scriptures.  We  remained  there  nine  days,  for  there  were  many  houses; 
and  we  met  and  praised  God  in  the  use  of  hymns  and  prayer,  and  vil¬ 
lagers  said  it  was  very  pleasant,  for  they  had  never  been  accustomed 
to  hearing  such  things. 


Difficulties  and  Rewards 

“After  this.  Elder  Noi  Neum  and  Loong  Nan  Tan  went  with  us,  and 
Kaao  returned  home.  The  rest  of  us  went  to  a  village  exceedingly  diffi¬ 
cult  of  access  on  account  of  the  mountains,  there  being  five  hills.  On 
account  of  the  steepness  of  the  hills  and  the  roughness  of  the  road,  some 
were  not  able  to  continue,  being  sore  of  feet.  I  comforted  them  with 
words  of  Scripture,  telling  them  about  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord,  which 
were  many  times  greater  than  we  were  undergoing.  One  person  helping 
us  to  carry  the  books  was  not  a  Christian,  and  it  was  an  opportune  time 
to  give  him  the  gospel  message.  We  finally  reached  the  village  in  the 
hills  about  five  o’clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  abode  there  in  one  of  the 
houses  that  night;  and  the  next  morning  after  breakfast  we  went  to  the 
sala  of  the  monastery  to  distribute  books,  but  the  monks  would  not 
accept  them.  After  the  noonday  meal  we  showed  the  views  to  the 
people,  and  all  turned  out,  there  being  only  seventeen  houses  in  this 
village.  We  taught  them  the  Scriptures  and  they  listened  well.  The 
next  morning  every  one  accepted  a  portion  of  Scripture.  In  the  evening 
we  had  a  service,  there  being  about  sixty  present,  and  they  asked  us  to 
remain  another  night;  but  I  replied  there  are  many  other  villages  to 
which  we  must  go.  From  that  place  Elder  Noi  Neum  and  Nan  Tan  had 
to  turn  back,  because  the  road  was  too  difficult  for  them,  one  being  sore¬ 
footed  and  the  other  very  old.  Me  Noen  and  I  persevered  and  found  the 
road  very  bad  indeed,  being  overgrown  with  tall  jungle  grass,  which 
had  to  be  parted  with  our  hands  all  along  till  we  reached  the  next  village, 
where  we  arrived  about  eleven  o’clock.  We  went  to  the  sala  of  the 
monastery  where  we  produced  the  pictures  to  show  the  people,  and  the 
whole  village  turned  out  and  listened  well  and  requested  us  to  remain  two 
or  three  more  nights;  and  that  when  we  return  in  the  future  we  need  not 
bring  anything  to  eat — so  eager  were  they  to  have  us  return.  At  the 
next  village  the  headman  rang  the  gong,  calling  all  the  people  together 
to  hear  our  message,  saying  this  village  had  never  heard  the  gospel 
before. 

The  People  More  Ready 

“In  some  instances,  individuals  who  received  the  Scriptures  raised 
their  hands  and  bowed  their  heads  in  the  attitude  of  worship.  Some 
of  the  colporteurs  say  it  will  not  be  long  before  many  of  these  people 
take  a  stand  for  Christianity.  This  drive  in  distributing  the  Scriptures 
has  brought  some  interesting  facts  to  the  surface.  One  of  these  facts  is 
that  the  bulk  of  the  people  are  much  more  ready  to  receive  the  gospel 

13 


message  than  they  were  a  year  ago.  Another  fact  has  appeared,  viz.: 
there  is  an  undercurrent  of  opposition  which  seems  to  emanate  not  from 
the  common  people,  but  from  a  higher  source. 

“All  the  Siamese  and  Lao  officials  were  visited,  and  all  the  monasteries. 
To  the  three  highest  Siamese  officials  in  Prae  City  was  given  each  a  New 
Testament  in  Siamese  and  to  the  three  highest  Lao  noblemen  each  a  New 
Testament  in  Lao.  Two  of  the  Siamese  officials  wrote  notes  of  appre¬ 
ciation. 

Let  Your  Imagination  Loose 

“This  splendid  piece  of  work  done  by  the  colporteurs  has  been  made 
possible  by  the  generous  aid  of  the  American  Bible  Society  through  their 
representative  in  Siam,  the  Rev.  Robert  Irwin,  B.D.,  and  we  hereby  ex¬ 
tend  our  heartiest  appreciation  to  the  Bible  Society  and  to  Mr.  Irwin.” 

It  is  difficult  for  those  of  us  w7ho  have  not  been  over  the  ground  or 
done  something  of  this  kind  of  work,  to  appreciate  what  it  means  to  cover 
the  territory  of  a  province  and  to  enter  every  house  in  it.  Remember 
these  colporteurs  went  mostly  barefooted  and  bareheaded,  with  only  a 
shoulder  bag  and  a  long  bladed  knife,  and  that  it  is  a  mountainous 
country,  whose  roads  are  mostly  lonely  trails  along  bridgeless  streams, 
with  tiger  and  robber  infested  forests,  and  whose  people  are  suspicious 
of  every  stranger.  Unless  we  let  our  imagination  loose,  we  are  apt  to 
suppose  that  these  men  have  an  easy  time  of  it  on  their  eight  dollars  a 
month.  To  one  who  actually  thinks  the  matter  out,  these  colporteurs 
are  the  real  Peace  Commissioners.  A  political  League  of  Nations  may 
bring  a  lasting  peace,  but  there  is  no  question  of  the  peace  built  on  the 
Book  these  men  distribute.  It  looks  forward  to  the  time  when  men  shall 
beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares  and  lose  the  art  of  war.  Slowly 
the  idea  is  developing  in  the  mind  of  the  world,  and  some  fine  morning 
we  shall  waken  to  find  it  realized,  and  then  these  now  unknown  col¬ 
porteurs  shall  have  their  reward. 

Bangkok 

Fewer  men  have  been  at  work  this  year  in  Bangkok.  Mr.  Fuller, 
in  charge  of  the  Chinese  missionary  work  there,  has  been  closely  en¬ 
gaged  in  pushing  out  along  educational  lines  for  the  benefit  of  the  Chinese 
people  and,  therefore,  has  had  to  cut  down  the  number  of  his  colporteurs 
through  inability  to  superintend  them.  Only  a  couple  of  Chinese  col¬ 
porteurs  have  been  steadily  at  work.  One  Siamese  was  at  work  in  the 
city  for  half  the  year,  but  gave  it  up.  We  ought  to  have  a  dozen  good 
colporteurs  in  the  city,  not  only  for  Siamese  and  Chinese  but  for  many 
other  Asiatic  peoples.  It  is  a  most  cosmopolitan  city  and  growing.  A 
large  number  of  Indians  are  accessible.  Mrs.  McClure  tells  of  giving  a 
Hindustani  Bible  to  an  Indian.  A  week  later  she  met  him  an  inquired 
whether  he  had  read  some  of  it.  “All  of  it,”  he  said.  Incredulous,  she 
questioned  him  on  what  he  had  read  and  he  was  able  to  tell  her  about 
the  Old  Testament  characters  and  to  show  an  intelligent  knowledge  of 
the  New.  He  said,  “Mem,  I  began  at  the  beginning  (pointing  to  the 
back  of  the  book)  and  read  to  here  (what  to  us  would  have  been  the 

14 


beginning).  Now,  my  friend  is  reading  it  and  all  of  them  want  it.” 

One  supervisor  writes,  “Incidently  there  is  much  seed  sowing  that 
cannot  be  collated  in  statistics.” 

Chiengmai  Accomplishments 

Dr.  Campbell,  in  charge  of  all  the  evangelistic  and  colporteur  work 
of  Chiengmai  province,  has  kept  a  number  of  men  distributing  through-  • 
out  the  feasible  months  of  the  year,  and  continues  to  write  optimistically 
of  the  results  of  spreading  the  Scriptures  broadcast.  To  quote  him: 

“Four  new  households  are  reported.  One  worker  moved  his  sister’s 
family  two  days’  journey  and  set  them  down  in  a  Christian  community 
in  order  to  have  them  become  Christians.  It  is  needless  to  report  that 
the  effort  was  blessed.  Such  efforts  always  are. 

“There  was  one  unique  experience.  A  young  man  came  to  say  that 
he  and  his  mother  and  younger  brother  wished  to  become  believers  and 
desired  a  service  in  their  house.  He  said  they  had  been  led  to  this 
decision  some  weeks  before  by  reading  the  books  given  them  by  a  man 
whose  name  he  did  not  know.  From  the  description  and  date  I  was 
able  to  identify  the  colporteur  quite  easily. 

“During  these  three  months  6,121  Scriptures  were  distributed. 
The  men  are  distributing  a  little  more  sparingly  than  formerly,  lest  the 
supply  be  exhausted  before  the  war  conditions  as  to  paper  and  printing 
have  time  to  improve.  .  .  .  Eight  more  new  households  have  become 
Christians.  In  Ampur  San  Maha  Phone  every  house  in  the  following 
villages  was  visited  and  Scriptures  placed  in  every  instance  where  the 
people  were  at  home.”  Then  follows  the  names  of  eight  in  that  Ampur 
(district),  and  six  in  Muang  Pao,  and  many  more.  “Also  Scriptures  were 
sent  to  Muang  Pai  six  days  west  and  Muang  Hang  six  days  northwest. 
Also  the  Muang  Chem  five  days  southwest  and  to  other  distant  points.  .  .  . 

“An  only  daughter,  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  was  taken  in  this 
epidemic.  The  bereaved  parents  told  me  how  a  few  hours  before  her 
death  she  described  the  Heavenly  City  and  seemed  eager  to  go  and 
urged  them  to  join  her  there  a  little  later.  This  seems  to  comfort  them 
very  much.  They  have  repeatedly  donated  Scriptures  to  tell  others  of  the 
same  hope.” 

British  Shan  States  Being  Entered. 

A  recent  letter  from  the  Rev.  J.  H.  Telford  of  the  American  Baptist 
Mission  in  Kengtung,  British  Shan  States,  gives  the  assurance  that  the 
mission  will  soon  be  reinforced  to  enable  them  to  take  up  vigorous  work 
for  the  Shan,  or  Keun,  Tai  people  there.  Heretofore  the  time  of  the  two 
American  families  has  been  fully  occupied  with  the  hill  tribes,  and  practi¬ 
cally  nothing  has  been  done  for  the  Tai.  Among  other  things  Mr.  Telford 
says,  “Our  Mission  is  waking  up  to  the  need  of  the  Shans  and  be¬ 
fore  long  I  think  we  shall  have  at  least  one  additional  family  for  the 
Shan  people.  Both  Mr.  Hanna  and  myself  are  now  giving  ourselves  to 
the  study  of  the  Shan  language,  and  I  do  not  think  it  will  be  long  before 
our  Shan  work  is  on  the  map  so  far  as  Kengtung  is  concerned.  ...  I  hope 
that  when  you  visit  Kengtung  the  next  time  you  will  see  us  in  action  with 

15 


the  Shans.  We  hope  to  concentrate  on  them  with  our  biggest  guns  and 
with  every  legitimate  means  of  warfare,  that  we  may  bring  to  naught 
the  seemingly  insuperable  barriers  that  have  thus  far  forbidden  the 
establishing  the  kingdom  of  God  among  these  interesting  Shan  folk.” 

Eastern  Siam  Untouched 

Nothing  has  yet  been  done  in  eastern  Siam,-  the  Mission  feeling 
unable  to  undertake  any  new  work  without  additional  men  from  home. 
The  need  however  is  just  as  great  as  ever  and  it  would  seem  as  though 
the  receptive  attitude  of  the  people  would  lead  the  South  Siam  Mission 
to  enter  the  field  even  at  the  expense  of  some  of  the  existing  work. 

French  Territory  Closed 

The  French  territory  east  of  the  Mekawng  is  still  closed  to  evangelistic 
and  Bible  work,  except  three  cities  along  the  coast  and  the  single  province 
of  Cochin-China. 

Who  Live  in  G1  ass  Houses 

Kipling  made  us  acquainted  with  the  unhustleable  nature  of 
the  East,  but  we  are  sure  now  that  the  fault  is  not  with  the  eastern 
peoples.  Here,  for  instance,  is  one  of  the  leading  nations  of  the 
West  positively  forbidding  Christian  teachers  to  enter  this  southeastern 
empire,  and  refusing  to  allow  Christian  literature  to  pass  through  the 
mails.  Here  is  the  American  Presbyterian  Church  allowing  year  after 
year  to  slip  away  without  lifting  a  hand  to  help  the  four  millions  of 
Siamese  in  the  eastern  half  of  Siam  and  with  just  the  beginning  of  work 
in  the  Yunnan  field,  though  continuing  to  acknowledge  its  responsi¬ 
bility  for  the  evangelization  of  the  Tai  people.  And  here  again  is  the 
American  Baptist  Church,  laying  claim  to  be  the  teachers  of  the  eastern 
Shan  States  and,  after  twenty  or  more  years,  just  proposing  to  begin  to 
do  something  for  the  Shan  people.  Let  us  Westerners  quit  throwing 
stones  and  exchange  our  glass  walls  for  something  more  substantial. 
The  American  Bible  Society  has  had  workers  in  all  these  Tai  fields,  but 
it  is  like  pouring  water  into  a  hole  until  the  Missions  co-operate  by  per¬ 
manent  occupation.  We  have  challenged  the  Missions  to  mobilize  their 
native  forces  and  put  their  churches  on  a  war  basis  in  order  to  make  a 
determined  advance  in  all  these  countries,  and  we  have  a  standing  offer 
to  provide  them  with  as  many  colporteurs,  under  their  own  control,  as 
they  have  evangelists.  We  believe  it  is  as  practicable  for  us  to  trust 
God  and  the  home  church  who  sent  us  to  do  this  work,  as  for  our  boys 
who  went  to  France  to  trust  the  President  and  the  country  to  provide 
all  they  needed  to  win  the  war.  It  is  not  that  we  have  unlimited  funds 
in  hand.  We  might  be  hard  pressed  if  the  Missions  should  accept  our 
offer.  We  as  well  as  they,  and  business,  and  politics,  and  war,  and 
everything  else  human,  must  walk  by  faith. 

Training  Colporteurs 

The  quality  of  our  colporteurs  improves  very,  very  slowly.  Moral 
growth  is  always  slow.  We  ourselves  have  nothing  to  boast  of  in  the 

16 


matter  of  spiritual  attainments.  All  we  can  say  is  that  we  are  trying  to 
improve  and  trying  to  help  our  colporteurs,  along.  It  is  a  good  deal  to 
be  able  to  say  that  some  of  them  are  trying  to  improve  both  in  character 
and  work. 

Orientals  in  Siam  are  very  different  from  us  in  tlieir  ideals  of  work. 
We  want  to  get  the  job  done;  never  mind  how,  so  it  is  right.  They  do 
not  see  that  it  makes  any  difference  whether  the  job  is  done  or  not. 
Then,  their  manner  of  life  and  control  has  been  such  that  they  have  little 
or  no  initiative.  Mr.  Callender,  who  has  handled  large  numbers  of  col¬ 
porteurs  this  year,  has  this  to  say:  “The  colporteurs  are  so  timid  and 
fearful  lest  they  do  something  the  missionary  may  not  approve.  Their 
caution  may  be  a  good  sign,  but  it  does  not  represent  the  best  method 
of  progress  and  speed  in  getting  the  work  done.  In  some  cases  if  the 
men  would  just  exercise  more  judgment  and  go  ahead,  it  would  save 
time  and  also  money.” 

Ai  Noi  of  Chiengrai,  Mr.  Bachtell’s  cook,  is  a  sample  of  the  opening 
of  mental  power  and  aggressive  energy  by  the  gospel.  He  learnt  to 
read  and  now  is  interested  in  the  study  of  the  Scriptures.  He  misses  no 
opportunity  to  attend  classes.  He  volunteered  this  year  to  go  to  Luang 
Prabang,  in  French  territory,  as  a  colporteur  whenever  the  French  give 
permission  for  us  to  enter.  This  result  it  not  an  impulse,  but  a  process 
covering  a  number  of  years.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  brightest  faces  are 
the  ones  that  have  been  studying  the  longest;  some  of  the  beginners 
are  dull  and  dark. 

Training  classes  for  colporteurs  have  been  held  throughout  the  North 
Siam  Mission  as  usual  with  gratifying  success.  The  attendance  has 
increased  considerably  and  there  is  a  more  intelligent  interest  in  the 
subjects  presented.  Two  booklets  on  Co-operation  with  God  have  been 
prepared  and  printed  in  the  Lao  language  and  taught  to  a  number  of 
churches  and  classes.  These  deal  wdth  Prayer  and  Our  Tasks.  A  third 
series  is  almost  ready  for  the  press  on  Self-Discipline.  The  same  three 
series  are  translated  into  Siamese  and  will  soon  be  printed.  All  of  these 
studies  deal  with  the  development  of  the  individual  life.  Another  series, 
in  preparation,  deals  with  the  social  side  of  Christianity  and  the  unity 
of  the  church.  We  have  kept  four  men  in  the  Mission  Training  School 
throughout  the  term  at  an  expense  of  five  hundred  ticals.  To  meet  the 
need  that  is  soon  to  be  thrust  upon  us,  if  progress  is  to  be  made  at  all,  we 
must  increase  out  training  both  in  quantity  and  quality.  Man  force  is 
the  demand  of  the  hour,  and  there  is  only  one  way  to  get  it,  and  that 
is  by  training. 

Pushing  Forward 

Following  the  inquiry  of  our  New  York  office  as  to  the  probable 
expense  of  “doing  our  part  of  the  work  in  South  China”  and  the  sug¬ 
gestion  of  an  advance  in  1920,  we  entered  on  a  vigorous  and  continued 
effort  to  secure  enough  capable  men  to  make  a  drive  into  South  China, 
eastern  Siam,  and,  if  the  way  should  open,  into  Luang  Prabang,  the 
capital  of  French  Laos.  Numbers  of  men  volunteered  for  service,  but, 
owing  to  the  shortage  of  missionaries  to  superintend  them  and  their  own 

17 


excessive  demands,  no  drive  was  attempted.  The  work  done  will  make 
the  next  attempt  easy,  however.  That  a  large  number  of  men  have 
learned  to  be  willing  to  go  so  far  away  from  home  for  several  months, 
is  success  in  itself.  The  North  Siam  Mission  transferred  the  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  C.  R.  Callender  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  C.  E.  Park  to  Chiengrung  Station 
in  South  China,  and  they  are  taking  several  colporteurs  with  them — 
to  stay,  we  hope. 

In  one  of  his  tours,  Mr.  Metcalf,  of  the  China  Inland  Mission,  in 
northern  Yunnan,  found  several  Tai  villages  ready  to  give  up  their  spirit 
worship  for  Christianity,  and  appealed  to  Chiengrung  Station  to  send  him 
a  native  teacher.  The  appeal  was  forwarded  to  the  Mission  and  in 
response  a  young  man  went  from  Nan.  Now  his  brother  has  gone  to 
join  him  as  a  colporteur,  and  both  intend  to  stay  there.  Thus  the  Tai 
field  of  operations  keeps  on  enlarging  and  demands  an  ever-increasing 
trained  force  of  colporteurs  and  evangelists. 

With  the  vision  of  this  growing  need  before  us,  we  have  kept  steadily 
pressing  on  the  churches  their  responsibility  to  distribute  the  Scriptures 
within  their  bounds,  so  as  to  release  the  colporteurs  for  the  far-away 
work.  There  is  no  doubt  that  they  will  do  it  in  time.  Conferences  held 
in  connection  with  the  Bible  Study  and  Colporteur  classes  showT  that 
their  consciences  are  waking  and  beginning  to  trouble  them.  They  are 
getting  glimpses  of  a  nobler  life  than  living  for  themselves.  It  was  a 
happy  five  weeks’  experience,  in  connection  with  our  training  work  in 
Chiengrai,  for  Mr.  Baehtell,  going  on  furlough,  to  leave  me  in  charge  of 
the  city  church,  and  to  have  the  session  of  five  members  undertake  to 
conduct  all  the  services  and  direct  all  the  work  of  the  church,  including 
the  pastoral  visitation,  evangelistic  touring,  and  distribution  of  the 
Scriptures  throughout  their  whole  field — a  section  equal  to  several  town¬ 
ships  in  America.  A  new  day  will  dawn  for  the  church  in  Siam  when 
all  of  them  undertake  to  do  this  as  their  regular  business.  It  is  not  a 
question  of  can,  but,  as  with  most  of  our  matters,  of  mill.  The  real  prob¬ 
lem,  in  training  these  men,  is  to  infuse  morale  into  them.  “  It  is 
morale  that  enables  men  to  endure  hardships,  hunger  and  pain,  to 
face  death  again  and  again  and  yet  to  keep  on  fighting.  It  springs  from 
the  spirit  of  the  individual  soldier  and  sailor.  As  long  as  he  continues 
to  be  cheerful  and  to  feel  confident  of  himself  and  his  officers,  so  long 
does  the  morale  of  the  army  and  the  navy  continue  to  be  strong.  .  .  . 
That  is  why  the  soldier  with  a  buoyancy  of  spirits  is  more  valuable 
to  a  regiment  than  a  squad  of  sharpshooters”  (From  “This  Side  the 
Trenches”).  It  is  as  true  of  colporteurs  and  evangelists  and  ministers. 
Morale  grows  out  of  ideals,  and  ideals  out  of  the  Word  of  God  kept  soaking 
in  the  heart  and  practised  in  the  life.  As  Milton  said,  “He  who  would 
write  heroic  poems  must  make  his  whole  life  a  heroic  poem.”  We  mis¬ 
sionaries  and  we  American  Christians  have  the  task  of  our  life  in  being 
first  what  we  want  the  Siamese  to  be. 

Preparation  of  Scriptures 

The  Scripture  Revision  Committee  of  the  South  Siam  Mission  have 

18 


completed  the  revision  of  Chronicles  I  and  II,  and  it  is  now  on  the  press 
at  Chiengmai.  Revised  Exodus  is  almost  ready  for  the  press.  Psalms 
in  Siamese  has  been  printed.  Malachi  in  Lao  has  been  printed  for  the 
first  time,  and  plates  of  a  reduced  size  are  being  made  in  Japan. 

The  order  for  reduced  plates  of  most  of  the  historical  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  in  Siamese  has  been  given  the  Fukuin  Printing  Company, 
of  Yokohama,  with  the  hope  of  producing  this  part  of  the  Bible  in  one 
volume  by  the  end  of  the  year. 

A  second  edition  of  the  New  Testament  both  in  Siamese  and  Lao 
has  been  made,  without  margins  to  still  further  reduce  the  size.  With¬ 
out  margins!  What  would  F.  W.  Boreham  say  to  that?  In  “Mush¬ 
rooms  on  the  Moor,”  he  says:  “I  love  a  margin.  There  is  something 
delicious,  luxurious,  glorious  in  the  spacious  field  of  creamy  paper  bounded 
by  the  black  letterpress  on  the  one  side  and  the  gilt  edges  on  the  other. 
Could  anything  be  more  abominable  than  a  book  that  is  printed  to  the 
uttermost  extremities  of  every  page?  It  is  an  outrage,  I  aver,  on  human 
nature.  Indeed,  it  is  an  outrage  on  Nature  herself,  for  Nature  loves 
her  margins  even  more  than  I  do.”  But  hold  on,  Mr.  Author.  Your 
instances  of  Nature’s  margins  in  flies  and  fishes  and  birdlings  for  cats 
and  snakes  to  eat,  and  plants  for  browsing  cattle,  are  not  the  only  way 
Nature  has.  She  has  left  no  margins  to  her  mountains,  but  piled  them 
up  thousands  of  feet  in  the  air  and  stretched  them  continents  long. 
She  has  left  no  margin  to  the  earth  itself,  but  packed  it  full  inside,  and 
nowhere  is  there  such  a  profusion  of  things  as  over  its  surface.  She 
does  have  a  gilt  edge,  but  she  has  put  it  on  the  shimmering  sea,  on  the 
waving  wheat  fields,  on  the  glistening  sand  and  the  glittering  church 
spire.  Nature  adapts  herself.  That  is  what  we  are  trying  to  do— adapt 
ourselves.  Webster’s  Unabridged  Dictionary  cannot  be  carried  com¬ 
fortably  in  a  man’s  vdSt  pocket.  By  reducing  the  type  and  cutting  off 
the  margins  it  could  be  made  portable.  The  Siamese  Bible  is  about 
three-fourths  the  size  of  Webster’s.  Our  endeavor  is  to  get  it  small 
enough  to  be  carried  to  church. 

Donations 

We  take  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  following  gifts  to  the  Agency: 


Pitsanuloke  Church . 

Ts;  90.00 

Sritamarat  Church . 

46.04 

Chiengrai  Church . 

13.36 

Lakawn  Church . 

30.13 

Prae  Church . 

50.00 

Rev.  Allen  Bassett . 

57.00 

Mrs.  C.  B.  McFarland . 

135.00 

Issues,  Additions 

and  Circulation 

of  Stock 

Direct  issues: 

Bibles  Test's 

Portions 

Total 

From  Bangkok . 

....  643 

93,776 

94,419 

Prae . 

5 

18,043 

18,048 

Lakawn . 

205 

7,003 

7,208 

Chiengmai . 

.... 

2,900 

2,900 

Chiengrai . 

7,500 

7,500 

Total  direct  issues . 

....  853 

129,222 

130,075 

19 


Issues,  Additions,  an 

d  Circulation  of  Stoc 

k  (Continued) 

Indirect  issues: 

To  other  Bible  Societies . 

•  •  •  • 

500 

500 

Binders . 

58 

2,685 

2,748 

Total  indirect  issues . 

58 

3,185 

3,243 

Total  direct  issues . 

853 

129,222 

130,075 

Total  issues  for  1919 . 

911 

132,407 

133,318 

Direct  additions: 

Manufacture . 

950 

91,000 

91,950 

From  other  Bible  Societies .... 

35 

368 

33,978 

34,381 

Total  direct  additions . 

35 

1,318 

124,978 

126,331 

Indirect  additions: 

From  binders . 

50 

2,709 

2,759 

Total  additions  to  stock. . . 

35 

1,368 

127,687 

129,090 

Circulation  by 

Districts 

Sales : 

Biblea 

Test’s 

Portions 

Tot»l 

Bangkok . 

99 

317 

8,932 

9,348 

Chienginai . 

139 

139 

Chiengrai . 

39 

39 

Nakon  Patom . 

16 

2,030 

2,046 

Petchaburi . 

3 

40 

702 

745 

Sritamarat . 

. 

8 

313 

321 

Total  sales . 

102 

559 

11,977 

12,638 

Donations: 

Bangkok . 

2,282 

2,282 

Prae . 

30,694 

30,694 

Chienginai . 

25,840 

25,840 

Chiengrai . 

• 

18,810 

18,810 

Total  donations . 

77,626 

77,626 

Total  sales . 

102 

559 

11,977 

12,638 

Total  circulation . 

102 

559 

89,603 

90,264 

Details  of 

Circulation  by  Language 

Siamese . 

.  9,218 

Hindi . 

1 

Siamo-Lao  (diglot) . 

.  4,019 

Tamil . 

.  2 

Lao . 

.  69,836 

Urdu . 

.  1 

Kamu . 

45 

Singhalese .... 

.  2 

Laotien . 

1 

Malay  (Arabic) 

.  8 

Cambodian . 

151 

Malay  Baba... 

Chinese,  Wenli . 

.  6,576 

Malay  (Roman) . 

.  1 

Cantonese . 

250 

Gurumukki . .  . 

Tie-Chiu  (Roman) .  . 

5 

Javanese . 

.  2 

Hainanese  “  .  1 

1 

English . 

.  104 

Hakka . 

13 

Welsh . 

.  1 

Shanghai . 

1 

Danish . 

.  2 

Japanese . 

1 

German . 

.  2 

Talaing  or  Mon  (Pegu) . 

2 

French . 

.  1 

Burmese . 

3 

Spanish . 

.  1 

Bengali . 


Braille . 


Total . 90,264 


8-12-20— 3'4m 


20 


